CEO of supercute': Hello Kitty turns 50

Hello Kitty, the cute, enigmatic character that adorns everything from handbags to rice cookers, turns 50 on Oct. 31, still making millions for her Japanese creators.

The simple design of the character, who is not a cat, but a little girl from London according to Sanrio, the company behind Kitty, has mileage as a money-spinner for years to come, experts say.

One woman in the U.S. state of California has amassed so much Hello Kitty merchandise that her husband built her a pink so-called "she-shed" to keep it in.

Stuffed inside are thousands of toys and other items featuring Kitty and her eye-catching red bow, including rows of sunglasses, a swivel chair and novelty gumball dispensers.

"People my age, you know, we are told many times, 'Hello Kitty is for little kids,' and I laugh at that," said Helen from Riverside County, conceding she is "50 plus."

Helen, who drives a Hello Kitty-decorated SUV and runs the local fan club "Hello Kitty SoCal Babes," has been "obsessed" with the character since its 1970s U.S. debut.

Her vast collection of Hello Kitty plushies "make me feel warm," she said, describing spending hours among the soft toys, many of them rare, on a regular basis.

"Something in my inner child gets healed," she said.

Hello Kitty started life as an illustration on a vinyl coin purse.

It has since appeared on tens of thousands of products — official and unofficial — including tie-ups with Adidas, Balenciaga and other top brands.

The phenomenon shows no sign of slowing, with a Warner Bros movie in the pipeline and a new Hello Kitty theme park due to open next year on China's tropical Hainan island.

Sanrio's share price has soared more than seven-fold, pushing its market cap over one...